Artist: Momoko Usami
Momoko Usami, MISSOURI
View Artist's Products
I am interested in variety of everyday movement for use. For example, stack cups, turn the light on, jump in a puddle, open a jar, try to look back of my head, dry plates on drying rack, etc. Functional ceramics start at the time from when you complete the firing. Owner’s every touch make the pot alive. Even if it breaks, that could be fixed with Kintsugi and will be added special personal memory and history to it. I make functional work with sculptural mind. People’s move will give my work an action. I attempt to make people conscious about the motion that is given by somebody touching works. My role as an artist is to enrich person’s everyday life by being able to touch and feel my work, and by discovering fresh views through it. I am seeking mutually related figurations between the viewer and my work. I would like to pursue my expression not just as a tool for life, but also to recognize daily
consciousness.
2018 Studio construction in progress
2014 Online store MOMOtime started
2014 Community art class ‘Art Farm’ started
2011 EDP Building a house project (http://albinoleviathan.blogspot.com)
2009/2010 Residency artist, instructor of Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A
2008 State University of New York at New Paltz special student, New York, U.S.A
2004 MFA Kyoto City University of Arts graduate school major in ceramics, Kyoto, Japan
2002 BFA Kyoto City University of Arts major in ceramics, Kyoto, Japan
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012 “Momoko Usami Solo Show” [Charno Gallery of Kansas City Artist Coalition/ Missouri, U.S.A]
2010 “Room of Evening Traveller” [Studio #502 / Illinois, USA]
2006 “fu ton” [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]
2005 “Holy Teeth” [Galerie Weissraum / Kyoto, Japan]
2003 “Scene” [Gallery Collage / Kyoto, Japan]
SELECTED EXHIBITION & GALLERY SHOWS
2018 Featured Artist [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2017 NCECA Gallery Expo, Lillstreet Gallery booth
Annual Auction [Kansas city Artist Coallition/ Missouri, U.S.A.]
Mugshot Monday [Lillstreet Gallery / Illinois, U.S.A.]
2016 Featured Artist [Wonder Fair / Kansas, U.S.A.]
Women in Ceramics [Gallery Zeke / Missouri, U.S.A.]
Lillstreet 40 th Anniversary Exhibition [Lillstreet Gallery / Illinois, U.S.A.]
North on 71, A Regional Collaborative Exhibition [The Art Statuary Building / Missouri, U.S.A.]
NCECA Gallery Expo, Lillstreet Gallery booth[Kansas City Convention Center / Missouri,
U.S.A.]
Maryville Public Art Business Indoor Gallery [Maryville Public Library / Missouri, U.S.A.]
2015 Holiday show [Mo Faux Studio / Illinois, U.S.A.]
Digital Debut [Belger Crane Yard Studio, Redstar Studio / Missouri, U.S.A.]
2014 Momoko Usami Trunk Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
Playdate [The Ceramics Center Gallery/ Iowa, U.S.A]
2013 GIFT [Sfera Exhibition/ Kyoto, Japan]
2011 All Steamed Up [CINEMA Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
Co:Operation Tableware [Fancy Gallery/ Washington, U.S.A.]
Society of Northern American Goldsmith, Seattle conference exhibition, Collaboration with
enamel artist Christine Simpson-Forni
2010 Gethsemane Garden Center Art Fair [Gethsemane Garden Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
Awarded Award of Excellence
Residency Artist Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]
Lillstreet Faculty Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]
Residency Artists open studio [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, USA]
2009 34 th Annual Holiday show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]
Materiality: Emphasis on the media [Woman Made Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
Annual auction [Access Gallery/ Vancouver, Canada]
2008 PERMISSION (taken for) GRANTED [Gallery no_space/ New York, U.S.A.]
Perpetual Triggers [Gallery 116/ New York, U.S.A.]
11 th Annual Tokyo-New York Friendship Ceramic Competition
[Nippon Gallery/ New York, U.S.A]
Art Student Exhibition in NY 2008[ISE Cultural Foundation/ New York, U.S.A.]
2007 iwainokatachi [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]
The Map of All Possible Paths [STORAGE gallery / Vancouver, Canada]
2006 スープの時間 (Time for a soup) [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]
The Packet Agency #2 [STORAGE gallery / Vancouver, Canada]
茶碗展 (rice bowl exhibition) [UTSUWAWAICHI / Ishikawa, Japan]
The Packet Agency [TCB gallery / Australia]
The mass of small works [Dohjidai gallery / Kyoto, Japan]
2005 Ceramic exhibition of four people [ceramic gallery FUMONSYA / Kyoto, Japan]
Ceramic exhibition [Craft Gallery SHU / Kyoto, Japan]
Experimental shop [1928 building / Kyoto, Japan]
The Line of Artists [Ishidataiseisya / Kyoto, Japan]
Ceramics for Flowers [Kyoto craft center / Kyoto, Japan]
靭白昼夢祭り(the daydreaming festival in Utsubo) [gallery maison d’art / Osaka, Japan]
Let’s seek Florence Tuscany at Nisiki market [miho project, mori yu gallery, Nishiki market / Kyoto, Japan]
The 1 st International Triennial of Silicate Arts exhibition [Erdei Ferenc Cultural Centre and Art school / Kecskemet, Hungary]
2004 陶箱展 (containers) [gallery GEN / Kyoto, Japan]
Ceramics for Use: A New Perspective [Commons Gallery / Hawaii, USA]
長皿展 (long plates exhibition) [gallery GEN / Kyoto, Japan]
Aya Nakata & Momoko Usami [White cube KYOTO / Kyoto, Japan]
Graduate Exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts graduate school [Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art / Kyoto, Japan]
2003 OSHIKURAMANJYU [gallery MARONIE / Kyoto, Japan]
2002 CLAY DUET [IMURA ART GALLERY / Kyoto, Japan]
Graduate exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts, Awarded Encouragement prize, [Kyoto municipal Museum of Art / Kyoto, Japan]
2000 群 (flocks) [University hall FOYER / Kyoto]
WORKSHOP, SLIDE LECTURE
2017 Narrative Clay [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
Slide show [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2014 Pinhole Viewers [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2010 Visiting Artist, Slide show, Workshop [Lane Tech High School/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2009 Visiting Artist, Slide lecture [Art Institute of Chicago/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
slide lectures, artist talk, workshops [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2007 Slide lecture for the class of Dr. John O’Brian “Art and the Atomic Era”
[Ritsumeikan University/ Kyoto, Japan]
2004 Asia Pacific Ceramics Student Workshop in Hawaii
[University of Hawaii at Manoa/ Hawaii, U.S.A.]
AWARD, ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
2010 Gethsemane Garden Center Art Fair, Award of Excellence [Gethsemane Garden Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]
2009/2010 Artist in Residence [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A]
2002 Graduate exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts, Encouragement prize [Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art/ Kyoto, Japan]
GALLERIES
Lillstreet Gallery
Belger Crane Yard Studio, Red Star Studios
Kemper Museum Shop
Wonder Fair
Nanaimo Art Gallery
Vale Craft Gallery
Woman Made Gallery